Penn Healthcare Case Competition

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is a case competition?

    A competition in which participants are tasked with solving a problem set forth by the organizers. Often, these problems are business-focused, with teams utilizing their critical thinking, problem-solving, and public speaking abilities to make a recommendation to a client based on available data.

    As one of the only healthcare-focused case competitions in the world, the PHCC offers a unique chance for students interested in life sciences to apply their expertise and solve a problem situated at the intersection of biotech, healthcare, and business.

    For those would are interested in seeing a past case competition in action, we have linked the presentation of the 2021 PHCC winning team, Astralis Consulting. Teams that year were introduced to a small biotech company specializing in developing a novel gene therapy to treat Hemophilia A. Their goal was to recommend a suitable price point for the therapy, develop go-to-market and distribution strategies, and design phase III trials to ensure FDA approval of the therapy.

    Further resources can be found below:

    https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/c.php?g=1000215&p=7241822

    https://managementconsulted.com/case-competition/

  • Who is eligible to apply?

    Advanced graduate/ professional degree candidates (PhD, MD, JD, DMD, Master's etc) as well as postdoctoral fellows/ scholars are welcome to apply

    Applicants must be enrolled in their respective university or training program either full-time or part-time for the Fall 2022 semester

    Applicants from a non-US based university are permitted to apply

    No prior experience is required!

  • When is the application open?

    The application is open on Monday, October 3rd, 2022

  • Team information?

    Each team must consist of 4-6 members, with up to 2 MBA student participants per team

    Networking Coffee Chat sessions are designed to facilitate team formation for participants looking for team members:

    Coffee Chat #1 (Virtual) will be held on Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 12PM EST

    Coffee Chat #2 (Virtual) will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 8PM EST

    Coffee Chat #3 (In-person) will be held on Tuesday, October 11th, 2022 at 7PM EST

    Team should be formed before the application is submitted and the names of all team members must be written on the application form.

  • When is the application deadline?

    Each team has to submit one application form by Sunday, October 16th (11:59PM EST)

  • What is the Skill Building Course (SBC)?

    SBC is a 2-day introductory crash course designed to equip students with a foundation to tackle the case competition. It is intended for those who have submitted their applications by the deadline

    The course will take place on Tuesday, October 18th, 2022, and Wednesday, October 19th, 2022:

    Day 1 of the course will cover basic Financial Modeling and a Medical Device / Biotech industry overview

    Day 2 of the course will cover a case study from prior competitions and touch upon PowerPoint Etiquette, Storytelling, and How to find resources (i.e. primary/secondary research).